What Measure is a Cassette?
TF2 - Sunday, November 17, 2013, 6:33 PM ---------------------------------------- Mitteous Plateau(#11993Rnt) - Cybertron The chiseled rock-like metal here follows no mechanical form - the landscape looks as if it had been ripped and scraped, with errant twists of what might be stalagmites that appear "wind-swept" in one direction. The tones here dip into the indigo family, desaturated and pale. Bizarre plumes of perse waft up from sections of the fragile ground that have collapsed into caverns below. Watch your step! It was a strange broadcast from the barren plateau that drew Blaster out here. Then again the Tape Commander was hardly ever alone, if nothing else he always had a few bits of support. Still considering the fact of Cybertron's reformatting, the signal could be anything, perhaps even a hidden Decepticon base, or perhaps a great help to the Autobots. Either way, Only the Autobot Communications officer could really do job needed here of locating and unearthing this mystery signal. Could it be a distress call? Perhaps an alert? One thing was for certain, the right Bot was in charge of this one mech operation! One Mech Operation? Mecha Please! BLASTER, in all of his musical loving glory, is here and he's ready to get his investigation on. He's not particularly in a cautious manner for any reason, as he's bopping along to the smooth beats of instrumental bliss that bump softly out of his speakers. He does keep his optics and his sensors peeled for various pings and movement that could possibly be signs of the initial signal that he picked up on. Luckily, the ambient tunes are the only thing helping him watch his step. Move to the music, baby! So Blaster does his investigation, as casual and as skilled as his bud Prowl. The transmission source has got to be in this area, though it seems warped and strange, difficult to pinpoint. However Blaster is a master of his craft! Over an earth-hour, he starts triangulating the frequency, and interprets the strange echos of sound. He steps forward to a non-descript place below a rising bluff of Cybertron. As he does, just as he starts to find exactly what's making this noise, this transmission, the signal stops.... At Blaster's feet almost, he spots a portable signal booster. Why could it have died out here though, just now? The signal was almost impossible to find, the signal was weak and could've been ignored by anyone...Anyone except Blaster. Why would anyone do this? The only possible reason at all would be if.. Suddenly, Blaster is shot in the back, scorching precision independantly targetting blasts. Off to his side as Blaster instinctively reels, he could swear he saw a prowling figure in the shadows. That shot came from above you, atop the bluff. Who could have set this up? Soundwave has arrived. Standing on the bluff, his concussion blaster still smoking from the shot, looms the great Decepticon Communications Officer himself. Soundwave, and he's not alone, for you can see Laserbeak, Buzzsaw and if that skulking figure was who you might think it was, Ravage was on site as well. There's nothing short of a wince that expands from the vocal synthesizers that are deep within the cybertonian parts of Blaster. In fact, the Boss Level Tape Commander is caught completely off guard. Things like that happen, though, when you're too busy dancing around to actually pay attention to your surroundings. Not to mention that his music was probably up a bit too loud. Crunching over the dirt and rock in this area, it takes a roll for Blaster to get back up and onto a crouched knee. It is a crouched knee that allows him to stare upwards as if he knew where the shot came from. A bluff. How pun-fully quaint. "... Soundwave." is muttered as Blaster narrows his optics and his fists clench in rival recognition. Even his music stops for a second as he rises to his full height and takes a step, crushing the decoy signal beacon under his tremendous weight. If there was a camera in the area, it would be spinning slowly around Blaster as he stood up to his full height. Sparked by the intro of the latest track that's starting to pour from Blaster's speakers: http://youtu.be/SADj8WZEJPM There's a hole in the back of Blaster, which is both leaking a bit of Energon and releasing smoke from the burnination of the concussion blast. As Blaster cracks his neck to the side, he drops his protective faceplate to allow for the epic smirk that is bittersweet at the sight of Soundwave. "What up, Charades!" Already, the Blaster is offering up some delicious and classic witty banter. "If you wanted to surrender that easily, you could've just called. I don't have your number blocked anymore." Blaster's words are sent up there just to assist with the bantering. Also, to keep those fools at bay while his chest pops open and one after another his tapes are launched out, transforming in mid-air as they land, one after another, in visually awesome stances around Blaster. Eject! Three Point Stance. Rewind! Gangsta' Lean w/ Trivial Smirk. Steeljaw! Crouching Cassette, Hidden Badaft. Eventually, Blaster yanks out his Electro-Scrambler Gun and cracks a smile. "Wanna' dance?" Soundwave impassively regards Blaster, in his standard way. The one, all charisma and defiant, the other unchrasimatic, and calculating. Again he raises his weapon, then instead points forward, "LASERBEAK, BUZZSAW, ENGAGE. OPERATION: DIVIDE...AND CONQUER." Soundwave's hand turns into a fist as his minions engage yours! Mortar fire and cannons rake the ground as the Cassettecons lay into Steeljaw and Eject using their firepower! Rewind is curiously left unengaged, at least for now. Perhaps Ravage stalks the archivist even now. "IRRELEVANT." He repeats from on the +d channel. "FOR THE DECEPTICON EMPIRE." Of course his words hang loose, but firepower follows on his words as he peels off several powerful shots at Blaster almost immediately...yet somehow avoiding his cassette holder. Combat: Soundwave sets his defense level to Aggressive. <'Autobot'> Blaster has encrypted this channel. Combat: Soundwave strikes Blaster with his Concussion Blaster attack! -1 Combat: Soundwave's attack has strange and mysterious effects on Blaster. Combat: That attack has temporarily impaired Blaster's Agility. (Crippled) <'Autobot'> Blaster says, "You don't wanna' know why. Trust." The jamming signal in the area disperses. "Bounce!" is tossed at his Tape Squad the moment he notices that the opposite foes are on the attack. In fact, they barely even have time to do anything before Laserbeak and Buzzsaw are on 'em like cats on mice. They do their best to scatter, hailing potshots back at the Casseticons with fumbled ease. It doesn't look good already. Rewind, however, hangs back and tucks himself away to somewhere more archival. Huh. Taking the blast to the shoulder, Blaster attempts to spin with it, but there's no keeping his footing for some reason. His movement systems are hindered, if those blinking lights in his HUD are any indication. Grunting from the ground, Blaster pushes back up and when he raises his hands, his fists are no more and those golden gloves of musical expansion are bumping with dangerous tunes. "You really gotta' get some better material. That unwavering loyalty to delusional victory is really gettin' old!" By this time the musical waves of sound are tearing upwards towards Soundwave and the Cybertronian Earth beneath his feet. Bass Level: Maximum. Soundblasting: http://youtu.be/QpTpPmrbwvI Combat: Blaster strikes Soundwave with his Soundblaster attack! -1 Combat: Blaster's attack has strange and mysterious effects on Soundwave. Combat: That attack has temporarily impaired Soundwave's Agility. (Crippled) Soundwave raises his arm, weathering his nemesis' assault. He expected this, he knew this attack, and while it does force him back a few feet, and cause his footing to waver. He dramatically drops his hand, as if dismissing the attack in its entirety, or more likely he knew how long your assault would last, and knew when to capitalize. "FOOLISH AUTOBOT." He opens fire with his blaster, sending random shots towards you and your cassettes, but that was merely his suppressive fire. "ALWAYS ADHERING YOURSELVES TO OUTSIDE CULTURES. REPLACING YOUR PAST WITH OUTSIDE RACES. WEAKER RACES." The Con Tape Commander starts to stride forward to the bluff's edge, "ALL YOU HAVE EVER DONE IS FORCE OTHER PLANETS, OTHER RACES TO DWINDLE AND DIE FOR YOUR OWN FOLLY." He leaps into the air, one leg out as he makes a glorious figure in the sky before he comes down on Blaster with a devastating punch, "AFTER ALL THESE EONS, YOU PERSIST ON USING OTHERS AS YOUR SHIELDS, TO BUFFER YOU FROM YOUR TRESPASS, YOUR TRAITOROUS NATURE. AFTER ALL THESE EONS, HOW MANY MORE DO YOU CONDEMN?" With that poignant statement, Soundwave goes to simply drill Blaster as hard as he can right in the chops! Combat: Soundwave sets his defense level to Fearless. Combat: Soundwave strikes Blaster with his SHUT UP KIRK! attack! Suppressive fire is definitely working in Soundwave's favor as the agility hindered Blaster is attempting to dodge and move. He doesn't have much time to keep up with Soundwave's arrival... except for the fact that Soundwave is in the middle of another one of his rants. Which, in the middle of trying to dip and dodge, Blaster pauses to roll his optics. A pause too soon, though, because it allows Blaster to get caught with this punch of epic velocity. It cracks and stumbles Blaster, leaving him in a prone and dazed position for the arrival of Soundwave's second smackdown move! Blaster goes airborne for just a moment, twisting in mid-air as he comes crashing down onto his stomach. His chest is scratched something fierce and he grunts in pain. "Come on, Shirley, don't hold it in. Tell 'em why you mad..." Blaster looks up with a smirk, before pushing up on his hands and giving his legs a twisting swirl from beneath him. He uses his hands to move him closer to Soundwave, music starting to pump from his speakers and he aims a series of quick kicks at Soundwave's legs, hoping to trip him up, so that he can launch into a vicious rising knee towards the underside of Soundwave's chin. Especially with those speakers of his blasting such wonderful music at this moment. Now Playing: http://youtu.be/qUhSIoEQtSY Combat: Blaster sets his defense level to Aggressive. Combat: Blaster strikes Soundwave with his Dance Fu attack! Metal clangs on metal, Soundwave never exactly the most agile Con falls right into your hands, your fist connecting with his in a resounding PUUUUHHHHHHH (you try using onamotapeia for the show) which sends him sprawled, but the big Con is far from out of a fight. As he moves to stand, he says a single word in response, "RAVAGE." And with that your world turns to static as the stalker Cassettecon Ravage, outfitted with an electrical overload device, attacks from behind, a stunning move that sends you sprawling in return. Soundwave recovers himself as your minions and his duke it out, the Cassettecons' entire mission was simple, to draw them away, just long enough that he may do as he wished. The large purple Decepticon reaches down, his armor with a few good dents in it, but still fully functional. He grabs ahold of your cassette holder. "AS ALWAYS, YOUR EFFORTS WERE FUTILE." He rends your metal, prying open the protective holder. Your optics blurr and restart, still stunned from the ambush weapon, and you know, you KNOW that he must be damaging you severely. Disassociated with your form, you can only lay there and watch as he puts his foot on your chest. "YOU KNOW NOTHING OF PROCEDURE, OF INTELLIGENCE." That rending sound continues as you feel yourself being pulled up into his hands. "MY CASSETTECONS ARE TRAINED TO ERASE ALL DECEPTICON FREQUENCIES AND CODES UPON CAPTURE, WHEREAS...." And THEN you see it. Soundwave raises a hand, holding a cassette in his hand. Was that Mute, or was it one of your other unused soldiers? "YOU DO NOT." Buzzsaw lights on Soundwave's shoulder, the sinister buzzard looks down at you. "Shall I carve him to pieces?" You fall back to the ground, Soundwave leaves your vision. "NO, BUZZSAW. HE MUST LIVE FOR NOW...." And so the battle ends, as your Autobot Cassettes return a moment too late to stop the kidnapping, but what could Soundwave want with ANY tape of yours? What information could he retrieve, what scheme? Only one thing was known for sure, The Autobots were going to have to retaliate against this, and fast, before Soundwave got through the decryption, before he...made your own soldier talk.... As Soundwave makes off with whichever of the Tape Squad, Blaster can barely do much of anything except roll over onto his hands and knees and cough. And groan. And there's a few other sounds that come from him with nothing good coming after them. It's actually more of the fact that one of his Tapes got stolen as opposed to the fact that he just got totally ambushed and owned so fast that he didn't even see it coming. He never sees it coming. Ever. That's something he's going to have to work on, but by then it'll probably be way too late. It's always too late. Looking off towards the Tape Squad members that have arrived to assist, Blaster holds a hand out as he struggles to get himself back up to his feet. He's stumbling and he's wobbly, but he's standing (semi-) tall. There's even a limp attached to the body that is weakened and in dire need of repairs all ready. Not to mention he's going to have to figure out how to deal with these crazy new ambush tactics. Blaster doesn't think too many moves ahead. He's too busy grooving to the music. Right now, though, Blaster's not playing any music. This is not the time for music. This is not even the time to take a shuttle back to base. This is the time to walk. Slowly. And figure out how the hell he's going to explain this to Rodimus. "Guys?" Blaster looks up and off into the distance. The expression on his face is one that is both worried and angry and also guilty. His optics are even lowered and darker than they normally would be. His faceplate slides back up, to try and mask what is going through his emotional circuity right now. "... I gotta' feeling..." Acapella Reprise. "... that nothing's gonna' be alright." Slow Walk.